100 City Road Approved On Appeal
Published on 30-10-2008 by Skyscrapernews.com
The decision that has culminated the saga of one of the more bizarre planning refusals in London has been announced by the Secretary of State for Communities, Hazel Blears.
100 City Road designed by Squire and Partners is a planned 131 metre tall tower to stand overlooking Old Street Roundabout in the London Borough of Islington that encountered much opposition from locals with the scheme eventually being denounced in the council planning meeting which refused the application.
The council objected most of all to the lack of affordable housing in the scheme which had been reduced from 31% to 29% to comply with the council's requirements that it be reduced in height.
It was also refused permission on the basis that it was "detrimental to the local character, not in keeping with the local Victorian architecture" despite standing on the urban blight that is Old Street Roundabout surrounded by other less attractive and substantially older towers.
The government's own architecture quango, the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment welcomed the scheme giving it "qualified support."
With this refusal in mind, the developer London Merchant Securities, launched an appeal to have the refusal overturned which Hazel Blears has agreed with stating "the design of the residential tower to be of very high quality".
In a blow to the local opponents, the Secretary of State also concluded there was only "slight detrimental impact, in terms of loss of sunlight and daylight to existing properties", in other words opposition was a storm in a teacup.
Unfortunately for London Merchant Securities over a year has passed since Islington Council refused their proposals and much has changed economically since then. They may have got the green light but only time will tell if their project has missed the boat with the housing market.
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